So, of all the bugs in the whole world I could take an interest in, this is the one. I think ladybugs are the coolest bugs in the world. They're friendly, fast, curious, and they can fly like nobody's business! Anybody know where I can get one of these things as a pet?
I guess, first, I should tell you why I love ladybugs so much. Let's start with a little history.
New Jersey, some time in the 1970's, the sevenspotted lady bug is "accidentally" introduced into the environment and quickly becomes a fantastic biological control for aphids. Since then, they have spread naturally across the country, in some places becoming a more efficient predator than the local bugs.
For a small bug, they're relatively big at 7 to 8 mm from head to tail. The body is oval, dome shaped, and there is a white spot on either side of the head. They're spot pattern usually consists of black dots on the orange or red forewings in a 1-4-2 arrangement. The larvae are dark and alligator-like with 3 pair of legs.
These eager hunters seek out aphid infested crops like potatoes, alfalfa, sweet corn, wheat, and pecans. The females can lay more than 1,000 eggs over a three month period and some species even hibernate. It's really quite interesting.
I've had lots of interesting encounters, even had one crawling around in my hand the other day at school until some blue-eyed, ponytailed little girl in boots decided stepping on it would be more fun. But, the coolest experience I've had with a ladybug was on our recent trip to Carmel (I know, I still haven't written about it, but I will, soon, I promise). Even got a picture of it.
So, they we were, just sitting in the Dennis the Menace Park when this ladybug landed on Mama. It was the coolest thing in the world! Dad tried to get a picture of me blowing on it, but he wasn't quite fast enough.
Well, I think that's enough about ladybugs. Now I'm totally going to try and get some more pictures to share. Chao for now, amigos mios.
Hunter
No comments:
Post a Comment